Method of manufacturing a stick and a stick manufactured according to said method

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a stick (1,1&#39;) and to a stick manufactured according to said method. 
     The object of the present invention is to propose a method for the manufacture of a stick, which substantially shall have the same properties as a conventional wood stick. The method according to the invention is characterized in that a core (4,4&#39;) of polyurethane foam is formed, that the foam is caused to cure, that a plurality of holes (7,7&#39;) are made in the blade portion (3,3&#39;), that at least one longitudinal groove (5,5&#39;) is made in the handle portion (2,2&#39;), that a reinforcement strip (8,8&#39;) of glass-fibre reinforced polyester is placed in the groove (5,5&#39;), that a tape (9,9&#39;) of woven glass fabric is wound about the core (4,4&#39;), that a hose (10,10&#39;) of woven glass fabric is threaded on the outside of the tape (9,9&#39;), and that a surface layer of polyester plastic is applied on the core (4,4&#39;) with reinforcements.

This invention relates to a method of manufacturing a stick, preferablyfor bandy or ice-hockey, and to a stick manufactured according to saidmethod.

At present only bandy and ice-hockey sticks made of wood are used inpractice. It is not only extremely difficult to procure the raw material(a special sort of wood), but these sticks, in addition, also aremanufactured in a great variety of working moments, which are carriedout manually. Such bandy and ice-hockey sticks, consequently, areextremely expensive to manufacture.

It was also tried to manufacture sticks, especially ice-hockey sticks,of synthetic materials, but they apparently did not compare favourablywith the sticks made of wood, because they never got established on themarket.

The present invention has the object to propose a method for themanufacture of a bandy or ice-hockey stick, which is extremely cheap tomanufacture and, besides, has properties very similar to those ofconventional wood sticks.

This object is realized by a method and a stick, which have been giventhe characterizing features defined in the attached claims.

An embodiment of the invention is described in the following, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a bandy stick according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a section along II--II in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a section along III--III in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an ice-hockey stick according to theinvention,

FIG. 5 is a section along V--V in FIG. 4, and

FIG. 6 is a section along VI--VI in FIG. 4.

The bandy stick shown in FIGS. 1-3 comprises a handle portion 2, whichat one end transforms to a curved blade portion 3.

The bandy stick 1 is built up of a core 4 of polyurethane foam with adensity of preferably 100-400 g/liter. In said core 4 a reinforcingstrip 8, preferably of glass-fibre reinforced polyester, is attached. Atthe contact surface of the stick with the ice, furthermore, anadditional reinforcing portion 6 of plastic sheet laminate or Teflon islocated.

The first manufacturing step, i.e. the manufacture of the core 4,proceeds so that polyurethane foam is injected into a foam mould. Thedensity of the core 4 can be varied by varying the amount ofpolyurethane foam injected into the mold.

Subsequent to the setting of the foam, the mould is removed, and thecore 4 is ready.

A longitudinal groove 5 is now sawn into the core 4 so as to extend fromthe free end of the handle portion 2 to the region of the blade portion3, into which a plurality of holes 7 are drilled.

Into said groove 5 a reinforcing strip 8 of glass-fibre reinforcedpolyester is laid, so-called one-way roving. The reinforcing strip 8 hasa thickness smaller than the width of the groove 5, as shown in FIG. 2.The height of the strip 8 is equal to the height of the groove 5.

The manufacturing process continues in that a tape 9 of directed glassfibre, so-called one-way roving, is wound about the core 4 from the freeend of the blade portion 3 to the free end of the handle portion 2. Thewinding is made with some overlapping, which is greater in the bladeportion 3 and adjoining part of the handle portion 2. The tape 9 retainsthe reinforcing strip 8 in place in the groove 5.

Over the outside of the tape 9 wound-on a hose 10 of diagonally wovenglass fibre (roving 50--50) is drawn and extends all the way from thefree end of the blade portion 3 to the free end of the handle portion 2.In this manufacturing phase the hose 10 has the object of keeping thetape 9 in place.

The core 4 with the groove 5, reinforcing strip 8, tape winding 9 andhose 10 is placed into an injection mould, into which polyester plasticis injected which thereby forms a surface layer 11 about the entire core4. See FIGS. 2 and 3.

The polyester plastic also fills the holes 7 in the blade portion 3,whereby small staves of polyester plastic are formed which extendtransversely through the blade portion 3 and reinforce the same.

Due to the thickness of the reinforcing strip 8 being smaller than thewidth of the groove 5, the polyester plastic penetrates into the groove5 and encloses the strip 8 on its two sides.

The polyester plastic also penetrates into the hose 10 and tape winding9 all the way inward to the core 4.

Subsequent to the setting and mould removal, the stick is ground smoothand varnished.

When a bandy stick is to be manufactured which meets very high strengthrequirements, glass fibre tapes 12 of directed type (roving 50--50) areapplied on the sides of greater planeness of the handle portion 2 on theoutside of the hose 10 before the core 4 with reinforcements ispositioned in the injection mould.

The ice-hockey stick 1' shown in FIGS. 4-6 is built up according to thesame principle as the bandy stick 1 is shown in FIGS. 1-3. Theice-hockey stick 1' comprises a handle portion 2' and a blade portion3'.

In a manner corresponding to that for the bandy stick, a core 4' isinjection moulded. The stick, thus, can have different density andthereby vary in weight.

In the foam mould a reinforcing portion 6' is attached which, thus, isintegrated with the core 4'.

As appears from FIGS. 4 and 5, the handle portion 2' of the ice-hockeystick 1' is provided with three reinforcing strips 8' of glass-fibrereinforced polyester. This implies that three grooves 5' must bearranged. The strips 8' have a thickness smaller than the width of thegrooves 5'.

The blade portion 3' is provided with a plurality of holes 7',preferably with a diameter of 3 mm.

In a manner corresponding to that for the bandy stick, a tape 9' ofdirected glass fibre is wound about the core 4' along the entire lengththereof. Overlapping is applied which is greatest in the region of theblade portion 3' and adjacent part of the handle portion 2'.

Over the outside of the tape winding 9' a hose 10' of roving (90-10) isdrawn and extends from the tip of the blade portion 3' to the free endof the handle portion 2'.

The core 4' with reinforcements is positioned in an injection mouldwhereafter polyester plastic is injected into the mould in a mannercorresponding to that at the manufacture of the bandy stick.

After setting a surface layer 11' of polyester plastic is formed whichpreferably has a thickness of about 1.5 mm. When a stick with extrarigid handle portion 2' is desired, two additional reinforcing tapes 12'of roving (50--50) according to FIG. 5 are attached.

The manufacturing method described above renders it possible tomanufacture, for example, bandy and ice-hockey sticks with desiredweight distribution and strength properties. The density of the core4,4', for example, can be varied, certain reinforcements, for examplethe tapes 12,12', can be abandoned, reinforcements with certain specialproperties can be used, and the number of reinforcements, for example ofthe strips 8,8', can be varied.

It is, of course, also possible to imagine the above method be appliedto the manufacture of sticks for sports other than bandy and ice-hockey.

We claim:
 1. A method of manufacturing sticks characterized in that acore of polyurethane foam is formed which includes a handle portion anda blade portion, that the foam is caused to set, that a plurality ofholes are made in the blade portion, that at least one longitudinalgroove is made in the handle portion, that a reinforcing strip is laidinto the groove, that a tape of woven glass fabric is wound about thecore, that a hose of woven glass fabric is drawn upon the core on theoutside of the tape, that a layer of polyester plastic is applied aboutthe entire core with its reinforcements, and that the polyester plasticis caused to set.
 2. A method as in claim 1, characterized in that thepolyester plastic fills the holes in the blade portion.
 3. A method asin claim 1, characterized in that on the glass fibre hose, tape of wovenglass fabric is applied in the region for the handle portion before thelayer of polyester plastic is applied.
 4. A method as in claim 1,characterized in that the tape is wound on with overlapping, which isgreatest on the blade portion and adjoining part of the handle portion.